Lazio kicked off their Europa League campaign with a commanding 3-0 victory over Dynamo Kyiv at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg. The match, played on neutral ground due to the ongoing situation in Ukraine, saw Boulaye Dia shine with two goals, while Fisayo Dele-Bashiru added another to secure a convincing win for the Italian side.
Lazio wasted no time asserting their dominance, with Dia opening the scoring within the first five minutes. The striker capitalized on poor Dynamo defending, finishing off a neat exchange with Pedro. The Ukrainian side’s woes were compounded when they lost defender Brayan Ceballos to what appeared to be a serious thigh injury early in the match.
The Italian team then struck twice in quick succession around the 35-minute mark. Dele-Bashiru fired into the roof of the net after a Dynamo error, and moments later, he turned provider, crossing for Dia to head home his second of the night.
Despite Lazio’s control, the match ended on a sour note with two red cards in the final 20 minutes. Dynamo’s Maksym Braharu was dismissed after VAR review for a challenge on Mattia Zaccagni, while Lazio substitute Tijjani Noslin saw red just minutes after coming on for an alleged elbow.
Lazio goalkeeper Ivan Provedel made several crucial saves to preserve the clean sheet, including an impressive stop from a dipping Volodymyr Brazhko free-kick. Pedro was unfortunate not to add a fourth for Lazio, hitting the post in the second half.
This emphatic victory puts Lazio in a strong position in the new Europa League format, where teams face eight different opponents before the top performers advance to the knockout stages.
Goals: Dia 5, 35 (L), Dele-Bashiru 34 (L)
Sent off: Braharu 72 (D), Noslin 82 (L)
Dynamo Kiev (4-2-3-1): Bushchan; Tymchyk, Ceballos (18′ Bilovar), Mykhavko, Dubinchak; Brazhko, Shaparenko (64′ Rubchynskyi); Yarmolenko (64′ Braharu), Pikhslonok (84′ Andriievskyi), Kabaev (84′ Guerrero); Vanat
Lazio (4-2-3-1): Provedel; Marusic, Patric (56′ Gila), Romagnoli, Pellegrini; Rovella, Vecino; Tchaouna (56′ Isaksen), Dele-Bashiru (79′ Noslin), Pedro (68′ Zaccagni); Dia (68′ Castellanos)
